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Processes
Special Issues
Low/Zero Carbon Fuels Production, Transportation, Storage and Utilization
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Low/Zero Carbon Fuels Production, Transportation, Storage and Utilization

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Processes".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 1110

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Hongliang Luo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Power and Energy Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China
Interests: marine engine; spray and combustion; low/zero-carbon energy; droplet behaviors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yu Jin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Institute for Energy Research, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Interests: visualization and simulation of internal flows; fuel atomization; mixture formation and combustion
Dr. Feixiang Chang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
School of Mechanical Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212100, China
Interests: atomization mechanism and efficient combustion technology; spray-wall interactions; microscopic characteristics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Low/zero-carbon fuels have been a hot topic among researchers and manufacturers owing to the opportunities and challenges of carbon neutrality. Recently, many advanced developments have been reported related to the production, transportation, storage, and utilization of low/zero-carbon fuel technologies. These fuels include zero-carbon fuel (ammonia and hydrogen), carbon-neutral fuel (biodiesel and methanol), and low-carbon fuel (methane and natural gas). However, the production and transportation of these fuels still present a great technical challenge. Furthermore, all of these fuels need to be stored safely and be able to be used for combustion. Therefore, developing high-efficiency storage and utilization methods for these fuels is another significant challenge. Moreover, considering the strict rules regarding emissions from gas turbine, marine, and automobile engines, the application of these advanced atomization and combustion strategies under specific working conditions in different powertrains should also be deeply investigated.

This Special Issue on “Low/Zero Carbon Fuels Production, Transportation, Storage and Utilization” welcomes the submission of high-quality articles focusing on the latest novel advances in technology for low/zero-carbon fuels. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Low/zero-carbon fuel production technology;
  • Low/zero-carbon fuel transportation technology;
  • Low/zero-carbon fuel storage technology;
  • Fundamental research on fuel spray and combustion;
  • Spray and clean combustion in automobile, marine, and gas turbine engines.

Prof. Dr. Hongliang Luo
Guest Editor

Dr. Yu Jin
Dr. Feixiang Chang
Guest Editor Assistants

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • low/zero-carbon fuel production
  • low/zero-carbon fuel transportation
  • low/zero-carbon fuel storage
  • low/zero-carbon fuel utilization
  • clean combustion
  • advanced spray and combustion strategy
  • internal combustion engine

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 5841 KiB  
Article
Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Droplet Size and Velocity in a Methanol Spray
by Zehao Feng, Junlong Zhang, Jiechong Gu, Yu Jin, Xiaoqing Tian and Zhixia He
Processes 2025, 13(6), 1883; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13061883 - 13 Jun 2025
Viewed by 231
Abstract
The atomization performance of methanol fuel plays a crucial role in enhancing methanol engine efficiency, contributing to the decarbonization of the shipping industry. The droplet microscopic characteristics of methanol spray were experimentally investigated using a single-hole direct injection injector in a constant volume [...] Read more.
The atomization performance of methanol fuel plays a crucial role in enhancing methanol engine efficiency, contributing to the decarbonization of the shipping industry. The droplet microscopic characteristics of methanol spray were experimentally investigated using a single-hole direct injection injector in a constant volume chamber. The particle image analysis (PIA) system equipped with a slicer was employed for droplet detecting at a series of measurement positions in both the dense spray region and dilute spray region, then the spatial distributions of droplet size and velocity were examined. Key findings reveal distinct atomization behaviors between dense and dilute spray regions. Along the centerline, the methanol spray exhibited poor atomization, characterized by a high concentration of aggregated droplets, interconnected liquid structures, and large liquid masses. In contrast, the spray periphery demonstrated effective atomization, with only well-dispersed individual droplets observed. Droplet size distribution analysis showed a sharp decrease from the dense region to the dilute region near the nozzle. In the spray midbody, droplet diameter initially decreased significantly within the dense spray zone, stabilized in the transition zone, and then exhibited a slight increase in the dilute region—though remaining smaller than values observed at the central axis. Velocity measurements indicated a consistent decline in the axial velocity component due to air drag. In contrast, the radial velocity component displayed irregular variations, attributed to vortex-induced flow interactions. These experimentally observed droplet behaviors provide critical insights for refining spray models and enhancing computational simulations of methanol injection processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low/Zero Carbon Fuels Production, Transportation, Storage and Utilization)
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17 pages, 9055 KiB  
Article
Combustion and Emissions Optimization of Diesel–Methanol Dual-Fuel Engine: Emphasis on Valve Phasing and Injection Parameters
by Zhenyu Sun, Zifan Lian, Jinchun Ma, Chunying Wang, Wei Li and Jiaying Pan
Processes 2025, 13(4), 1183; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13041183 - 14 Apr 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 478
Abstract
Diesel–methanol dual-fuel (DMDF) mode holds significant potential for achieving highly efficient and clean combustion in modern marine engines. However, issues such as low methanol substitution rate and high pollutant emissions persist, and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. This study numerically investigated [...] Read more.
Diesel–methanol dual-fuel (DMDF) mode holds significant potential for achieving highly efficient and clean combustion in modern marine engines. However, issues such as low methanol substitution rate and high pollutant emissions persist, and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. This study numerically investigated the combustion and emissions of a heavy-duty marine engine operating in DMDF mode. Multi-cycle simulations, incorporating diesel and methanol dual-fuel chemical mechanisms, were carried out to explore engine performance across various key parameters, including valve phasing, injection pressure, injection phasing, and nozzle diameter. The results indicate that valve phasing can greatly affect the indicated thermal efficiency, particularly at large valve overlap angles. This is primarily attributed to the variations of methanol film mass and thereby overall combustion efficiency. The optimized valve phasing increases the indicated thermal efficiency by 2.4%. By optimizing injection parameters, the formation of methanol film is effectively reduced, facilitating the improvement in the indicated thermal efficiency. The optimal injection pressure and nozzle diameter are 20 bar and 0.3 mm, respectively, resulting in increases in indicated thermal efficiency of 1.28% and 1.07%, compared to the values before optimization. Advancing injection timing and increasing nozzle diameter markedly decrease methanol film mass because some methanol remains undisturbed by the intake flow, while large droplet sizes tend to enhance the resistance to airflow. As injection pressure rises from 20 bar to 50 bar, the spray–wall interaction region expands, droplet size diminishes, and methanol film formation increases. Consequently, the combustible methanol in the cylinder is reduced, undermining the indicated thermal efficiency. Additionally, there exists a trade-off relationship between NOx and soot emissions, and the high heat release rate results in increased NOx but decreased soot emissions for diesel–methanol dual-fuel engines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low/Zero Carbon Fuels Production, Transportation, Storage and Utilization)
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